Board of Regents quarterly meeting is Dec. 9. Agenda includes student enrollment and success updates, search criteria for next president of Cleveland State Community College

The Tennessee Board of Regents will hold its next quarterly meeting Dec. 9. The agenda includes consideration of search criteria for the next president of Cleveland State Community College, proposed new career and technical programs, and student enrollment and success updates.

The board will also consider administrative mergers of two sets of technical colleges in West Tennessee to serve students more efficiently, Cleveland State’s new strategic plan, a new Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree program in Aviation Operations Technology at Southwest Tennessee Community College, a faculty emeritus designation, institution compensation plans at five colleges, and three policy revisions.

Other agenda items include informational reports on workforce development activities, the system’s relational advising initiative, advancement and fundraising activities, and a financial overview.

The Tennessee Board of Regents governs the state's public community and technical colleges comprising the College System of Tennessee.

The board will convene at 10 a.m. CT, Thursday, Dec. 9, at the TBR system office at 1 Bridgestone Park, Nashville. The meeting will be live-streamed and archived on the TBR website at https://www.tbr.edu/board/december-2021-quarterly-meeting.  The full agenda, executive summary and detailed board materials are posted at the same link.

The meeting is open and anyone wishing to attend in lieu of the live stream may contact Board Secretary Mariah Perry at mariah.perry@tbr.edu or 615-366-3927 for security access or accommodations, by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8.

Following Cleveland State President Bill Seymour’s announcement last month of his plans to retire next summer, the board will consider criteria for the college’s next president – the first step in a national search process. Later, a search advisory committee will be appointed, composed of board members, representatives of the college’s faculty, students, staff and alumni, and civic and business leaders in the college’s service area. The committee will review and interview candidates and recommend finalists who will discuss their qualifications in campus forums. TBR Chancellor Dr. Flora W. Tydings will review input from the forums and conduct further interviews before recommending a single candidate to the board for its consideration at a later date to be determined.

Dr. Seymour became the Cleveland State president in January 2014 and is completing his 43rd year in higher education administration.

The board will consider a TBR staff proposal to merge the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology at Covington, Ripley and Newbern into a single institution to be called Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest, effective in Fall 2023. All existing campuses and teaching locations would maintain operations and continue to fully serve students and industries in the region. The three TCATs have been led by a single president for several years and the proposal is to more efficiently address the needs of students.

Similarly, the board will also consider the merger of TCATs Paris and McKenzie for the same reasons, with a proposed effective date of Fall 2023. Both campuses and their other teaching locations would maintain operations, tentatively under the name Tennessee College of Applied Technology Paris/McKenzie, and continue to fully serve students and industry. Both colleges have also operated under the leadership of a single president and vice president for several years.

The proposal for a new A.A.S. degree program in Aviation Operations Technology at Southwest Tennessee Community College is the first of its kind at a Tennessee community college. The proposal has three concentrations: aviation administration, flight dispatcher, and professional pilot. There is significant industry support for the program, designed to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements. If approved, the college plans to pursue accreditation through the Aviation Accreditation Board International.

The board will also consider several other career and technical program implementations, expansions and modifications, including a new Advanced Manufacturing Education program at TCAT Morristown, Computer-Aided Design Technology at TCAT Murfreesboro, Truck Driving at TCAT Nashville, and Injection Molding Technology by TCAT Livingston at the Cookeville Higher Education Center.

The board will also consider whatever recommendations are forwarded from a meeting of the board’s Personnel and Compensation Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 7, regarding the awarding of faculty emeritus status to a retiring professor at Northeast State Community College and institution compensation plans proposed by Dyersburg State, Motlow State, Northeast State, Pellissippi State and Walters State Community Colleges. More details and information about the Personnel and Compensation Committee’s Dec. 7 meeting are posted on the TBR website at https://www.tbr.edu/news/board-regents-personnel-and-compensation-committee-meet-dec-7-2021-11-30.

The board will also act on a resolution honoring Dyersburg State Community College President Dr. Karen Bowyer, who is retiring Jan. 4 after 37 years as the college’s president and nearly 50 years of service in higher education.